


SPNStayAtHome Challenge

by VeraBAdler



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, SPNStayAtHome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:40:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 2,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23684041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeraBAdler/pseuds/VeraBAdler
Summary: Little drabbles for theSPNStayAtHomeweekly prompts. These are most likely all going to be quite small, maybe less than 100 words for some, as my attention span is shot these days (thanks, COVID-19!). But rather than save them all up until the end to post as one work, I'm going to make each little piece its own chapter in this one piece, so I have some accountability encouraging me to keep going and post something for all ten prompts.I will add tags or change the rating along the way, if that becomes necessary.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 28
Kudos: 28





	1. Week 1: Feather

## Week 1: Feather

_For this prompt, I had an image. I coughed up paragraph upon paragraph trying to write my way around to that image, but I don’t like any of what I wrote, so I scrapped it all. Let’s just stay simple..._

Cas drags Dean out of the Bunker for a walk. They’ve been cooped up inside for days, working their way through every book in the library looking for a solution to their latest problem. Cas says he’s gonna go crazy if he can’t breathe some fresh air and focus his eyes on the horizon for a few minutes, so outside they go.

There’s a meadow behind the abandoned power station that serves as the entrance to the Bunker, and they wade out into the grass. (Dean mutters something about ticks and Cas promises they’ll check each other over when they get back home and Dean blushes all the way down to his toes thinking about that.) The field is dotted with pink wildflowers and the sky is studded with fluffy white clouds and the sun is warm and the breeze is mild and Dean has to admit this was a really good idea.

He sees a flash of color in the grass and reaches down to find a blue jay feather, iridescent sapphire barred with black and tipped with white. It’s so pretty, but when he turns to show it to Cas, he’s dazzled by the much more gorgeous blue of the angel’s eyes. Some giddy impulse has him tucking the feather behind Cas’s ear, and then they’re both just standing there grinning at each other in the middle of a field.

_[Rebloggable post on tumblr](https://blessyourhondahurley.tumblr.com/post/615234315876532224/feather) _


	2. Week 2: Gentleman

## Week 2: Gentleman

"Is this one yours?"

"Lemme see." Dean peeled back the wrapper on the burger Cas had handed him. "Yeah, that's my extra bacon. You want some of these fries?"

"No, I've already got more onion rings than I can possibly finish."

"Ah, c'mon buddy," Dean nudged his shoulder against the angel's and chuckled. "You can take 'em all down. I have faith in you."

For a few minutes, they ate in silence. When only a few bites remained, Dean took a swig of his soda, then cleared his throat. "Look at us, Cas," he said expansively. "Two swanky gentlemen enjoying a moonlit meal _al fresco_. We are livin' the good life, that's for sure."

Cas scoffed. "Dean, we're wolfing down greasy junk food while we sit on the hood of your car. We're covered in graveyard dirt and ectoplasm. You call this the good life?"

He watched as the expression on Dean's face melted from a goofy grin to something softer, fonder, almost beseeching. "Well, yeah, Cas," he said. "It's about the company."

_[Rebloggable post on tumblr](https://blessyourhondahurley.tumblr.com/post/615656720126164992/gentleman) _


	3. Week 3: Thief

## Week 3: Thief

_"If you steal, do not steal too much at a time. You may be arrested. Steal cleverly, little by little." -- Mobutu Sese Seko_

One otherwise unremarkable morning, Dean Winchester wakes up and realizes his heart is gone. Whatever bandit had come in the night to stage this daring heist had left a replacement, there in the cavity of his chest, but he can tell the pulse of this new organ is not his own. This beat is gentler, warmer. It's nothing like the anxious thump that had pounded unceasingly in his veins since his father had shoved his baby brother into his arms and told him to _run_.

Laying there warm in his bed, eyes still closed against the morning, he casts his mind back to ferret out the details of the burglary. It's been happening for months, he realizes now. _Years_. His heart raided piecemeal, swapped bit by bit for another's while he'd bumbled along, unseeing. He's belatedly aware of a thousand points in time, odd and puzzling pangs he'd felt in his core... He sees them now for what they were: moments in which he was changed, in which something of his was taken and something else put in its place.

And now the crime is complete and Dean's heart is no longer his own. He turns under the blankets and throws out an arm to pull the culprit closer. Their bodies align, chest to chest, and the rhythm behind his rib cage meets its mate. Dean's heart beats there, under his beloved bedmate's care, and its cadence is tranquil and secure.

"Thief of hearts," he murmurs against Cas's throat, and follows the words with a kiss.

"You can't steal what's willingly given," his angel rumbles in reply.

_[Rebloggable post on tumblr](https://blessyourhondahurley.tumblr.com/post/616294637393657856/thief) _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a little trouble finding inspiration for this prompt, until I Googled up the quote that's at the top there. After I chose it, I looked up the source. Was he a poet? An author? Oops, no, militant totalitarian strongman, president of Zaire 1965-1997, giving advice on embezzlement to his colleagues. Oh well, I'm still using it.
> 
> If you count every word I put in, then took out, then put back in, then changed, then deleted, then replaced, then removed, this fic would be 5k. I'm still not 100% happy with it, but I'm making myself stop picking at it before it, or I, starts to bleed.


	4. Week 4: Bet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean wins a bet, but everyone loses.

## Week 4: Bet

"See, Cas? I told ya we could fit!"

"Okay, I have to admit it. I was wrong."

"Hell yeah you were. That means you owe me the biggest, messiest burger Ellen's got on the menu, _and_ you have to watch me eat it, with _no_ comments about my table manners."

"Are you sure our relationship can survive that experience, Dean?"

"Oh, shut up, bluebird. You love that I'm a ' _man of strong appetites_ '."

"The sight of you inhaling a Triple Trashmonster Burger was not what I had in mind when I said that."

"Whatever, a bet's a bet. We can both fit in the tub together, so you owe me dinner."

"I accept my defeat."

"Spoken like a true gentleman. Now, I'm gettin' hungry for my trophy. Let's get dressed and head out."

"Okay, um..."

"Ouch. Wait."

"What if you--"

"Ow, _fuck_ , my knee doesn't bend that way!"

"Sorry, sorry!!"

"Can you just... Whoa, stop splashin'!"

"I didn't mean to!!! I can't get any traction! Or leverage! Or move my left leg out of the way!! Dean, are we _STUCK IN THIS FUCKING BATHTUB_??"

"...SHIT."

_[Rebloggable post on tumblr](https://blessyourhondahurley.tumblr.com/post/616839486778867712/bet-see-cas-i-told-ya-we-could-fit-okay-i)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The image is from [NobHillLife](https://nobhilllife.tumblr.com/post/138676157491/any-day-spent-with-you-is-my-favorite-day-so).


	5. Week 5: Motel

## Week 5: Motel

The Ritz-Carlton it ain't.

Dean's been managing the Hide-A-Way Motor Inn for close to 7 years now. The owner, Marv, is a shabby little guy, with grubby clothes and greasy hair. It's clear that he decided to let himself go a long time ago, and then did the same with his motel. Every shift, Dean does what he can to patch up the wear and prop up the sag, but it's a never-ending tug of war against the forces of entropy and long-term neglect.

Despite the state of the place, they do a steady business, thanks to their plum location (strategically near-but-not- _too_ -near the interstate, the downtown, and the outlets). All sorts of people pass through -- honeymoon couples, businessman types, undercover lovers, harried vacation families, you name it. Rarely does a guest stay more than a night or two, though. A couple consecutive sleeps on one of Marv's civil-war-era mattresses tends to light a fire under sensible people's asses. All of a sudden, the Radisson on the other side of town starts looking a lot more affordable than it did on Expedia.com.

As the manager, Dean considers it his right to work mostly day shifts, _reasonable_ hours. He lets the part-timers cover the early-early mornings and the graveyard slots. But Becky's out of town this week for Comic-Con and Garth's twins have the croup, so Dean's covering the desk, bored out of his ass, the night the handsome stranger ambles in around midnight.

Okay, calling this guy a "handsome stranger" makes it sound like Dean's in one of those cheesy romance novels that Becky reads when she's supposed to be working (and which Dean absolutely does not borrow from her on the reg). But there is no question that the man is _stop-drop-and-roll gorgeous_ , a grade A+++ hottie, with dark messy hair and brilliant blue eyes. His face is kind, with deeply-etched laugh lines and a gummy smile, and his voice is distilled sex, on the rocks. 

Anyway, he doesn't stay a stranger for long. He introduces himself with a warm handshake as Castiel Novak, and asks for a room for "at least a week, maybe more, I'll let you know." He returns to the office a few minutes later, asking who he should talk to about getting some extra towels.

"I'm your man," Dean replies, already turning towards the linen cabinet behind him.

This becomes a pattern, a rhythm between them, as Cas stays the week, and extends his stay, and extends it again and again.

"How would I go about putting in a maintenance request on the leaky faucet in my bathroom?"

"I'm your man." Dean hefts his toolbox and trails Cas back towards his room.

"Do you know of any good places to eat in town? I'm dying for a burger."

"I'm your man." He flips the VACANCY sign to NO and locks the office door behind them. It's a slow Tuesday night, and Dean's pretty hungry himself.

Their relationship grows, slow and steady. Soon Cas is hanging out with him every shift, laptop in tow while he puts in his hours at his mysterious (utterly flexible and totally portable) tech job. They're getting dinner together almost every night after Dean clocks out. There have been flirty text conversations, and a few _really good_ kisses. Dean feels himself falling, _hard_ , but the ground under his feet is unsteady. Cas extends his stay week by week by week, but there's no discussion of a future, of whether they're building something here that can last.

Dean's shuffling receipts behind the desk one afternoon, trying to make sense of Marv's latest half-assed attempt at bookkeeping, when Cas closes his laptop with a click and clears his throat.

"I like it here," he states.

Dean raises his eyebrows, glances around pointedly at the faded paneling of the office. " _Why?_ " he asks with a twist of his lips.

Cas rolls his eyes. "Not _here_ , here. _Nobody_ likes it _here_. I like this area, though. I like... The people." He looks down at his lap, hesitant. Dean sits up, realizing only now that they're having a Serious Conversation. Cas continues. "I was thinking of finding a place to stay around here, something _permanent_." His eyes catch Dean's and hold. "Who would you suggest I talk to about something permanent?"

Dean flushes, grins. "I'm your man," he says, moving around the counter to take his boyfriend in his arms.

_[Rebloggable post on tumblr](https://blessyourhondahurley.tumblr.com/post/617746501219778560/motel) _


	6. Week 6: Jealous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are very very not good here in my house. Here's something very very small.

## Week 6: Jealous

"So, Ethel, you say you saw the man sneaking through your backyard last night? That must have been scary for you, sweet young thing like yourself home all alone like that."

The so-called "sweet young thing" is 90 if she's a day, but she's enjoying the _hell_ out of Dean's charming banter and ladykiller smile. Her cheeks flush lightly at his flattery, and she looks for a moment like the 16-year-old version of herself, sweet and young and full of life. She bats at Dean's arm in a "stop, you" gesture, then continues with her story. Over her shoulder, Dean catches Cas's gaze and winks. "Jealous?" he mouths when Ethel's attention flits elsewhere.

Cas rolls his eyes and mouths back, " _Very_."

[ _Rebloggable post on tumblr_ ](https://blessyourhondahurley.tumblr.com/post/618455371139497984/jealous)


	7. Week 7: Thunderstorm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are better here than they were last week, but I'm still very tired. Have another tiny moment.

## Week 7: Thunderstorm

Cas has been expounding on the formation and scale of various types of thunderstorms for the past five minutes. Single-cell, multi-cell, supercell, updraft, downdraft, electrostatic buildup... Dean's not really listening. He's not totally tuned out, mind you. He's heard some of it. His angel knows a lot of amazing stuff, and he's actually very interesting when he chooses to hold forth on a topic. But Dean's definitely not giving Cas his full attention right now. Right now, he's warm and safe, cuddled up in their bed. He's drifting in that soft way he does when he's relaxed but not sleepy. Cas is holding him so close that Dean can feel the rumble of his boyfriend's voice reverberating through both their chests. He's content to watch Cas's mouth move and think about where those lips were twenty minutes ago, and where they're going to be later.

[ _Rebloggable post on tumblr_ ](https://blessyourhondahurley.tumblr.com/post/619190951479590912/thunderstorm)


	8. Week 8: Hope

## Week 8: Hope

_"Hope is a renewable option: If you run out of it at the end of the day, you get to start over in the morning." -- Barbara Kingsolver_

"Ohhh, Jesus, that _sucked_ ," Dean groans, his hands over his face. "Every bit of it. Start to finish."

Cas climbs in by his side and rests a warm hand on Dean's chest. "Today was... not our greatest."

"Fucking _understatement_ , babe," he agrees, and drops his hand to cover Cas's. "How bad d'you think we fucked up this case, _really_?"

Cas tangles their fingers together and hums. "It's redeemable. We might need to call in some other hunters to help with the witnesses, now that our FBI covers have been blown. But I still think we're on the right track, and closing in."

"God, I hope you're right," Dean murmurs. 

"I usually am," Cas reminds him. "We can deal with it all tomorrow. Things will look better in the morning light."

"Yeah," Dean sighs, sleep already overtaking him.

_[Rebloggable post on tumblr](https://blessyourhondahurley.tumblr.com/post/620632787862667264/week-8-hope) _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to catch up here, since the challenge is officially over and I'm, um, not done. Everything happening in the world is just _so much_ and I am _tired._


	9. Week 9: Undercover

## Week 9: Undercover

_"I'm a recovering undercover over-lover." - Erykah Badu_

Hey, Cas, can we talk? I just- C'mere, let's go in... Can you close the- Thanks. So, look... It-it was funny today, the stories Sammy was telling you about me, y'know, the Doublemint Twins, and Unattached Drifter Christmas, and all that... All those stories, I can't deny any of 'em. _Wouldn't_ deny 'em. Sex is fun, and I'm never gonna feel bad about the times I've grabbed on to something fun, something _good_ , in the middle of all the crap in our lives. I've always been honest about that. As much as I've had to lie about my name and my job and my reason for being in town, I've never led anyone on, never promised more than something that ended when the sun came up. So I- I don't care that he told you all that stuff. Hell, you probably knew all of it already. 

But... The way he talked about me, like he doesn't think I'm _capable_ of... Sam's got the wrong idea about me, and maybe now you do too, and I should probably just let it go, who cares, whatever, but I don't... I don't want you to think that I- Look, man, I know I put up an act most of the time. I'm 95% bullshit, generally, and some of that's hunter life, and some of that's force of habit. But most of it is protection, 'cause there's a gooey goddamn center at the core of me that I need to keep safe. If you and my brother think I _can't_ love someone, that I don't fall a little bit in love twenty times a week, then I guess I've done my job guarding the big dumb bleeding heart I got inside. But you need to know, Cas, every person I've ever hooked up with, every vic I've ever saved, every grey-haired waitress who's slipped me an extra slice of pie? I've loved them. I got _so much_ love inside me I can feel it digging at the inside of my ribs, tryin' to flood the world. It took me way too long to learn to protect my heart, and I swam through an ocean of hurt before I got those walls built. I'm a recovering undercover over-lover, and I'm just trying to make it through each day without any more pain than necessary. I guess Sam doesn't see _any_ of that in me, but then Sammy's always had a big ol' blind spot where I'm concerned. He's got a picture of me in his head that he drew when he was a chubby twelve-year-old, and that picture ain't ever gonna change.

But I-I need you to know... I guess I dragged you in here to make _sure_ you know... H-how I feel inside. I've never loved anyone the way I love you, Cas. I've loved you for years. I fall more in love with you every damn day. You're _it_ for me, man, whatever the hell that means in a life like ours. And I don't wanna put the same shit on you that my brother's puttin' on me, so I'm askin' you, straight out, how you feel about that. Am I- Is that... Something you could ever want? And don't feel like you can't say no, Cas. You don't owe me anything. I know I'm no great prize, so if y- _oof_. Mmmm... Oh, sweetheart... 

_[Rebloggable post on tumblr](https://blessyourhondahurley.tumblr.com/post/621631771966160896/week-9-undercover) _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The podcast [Start With This](http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththis) inspired me to try something new here, namely writing a monologue, and it. Was. SO. HARD. Not sure I was entirely successful, either, but I'm glad I tried.


End file.
